Few names in the NBA demand the respect of “Fabricio Oberto,” as long as “respect” is measured in smirks, sighs, and knowing guffaws. The Argentinian big man, who played for the Washington Wizards last season, has had a tidy, victorious, and fairly unproductive career as a late-arrival to the American basketball scene. Oberto was a rookie with the Spurs at age 30, and it was in that season that he began carving out a tenure as a limited player in most respects — too slow to play consistent defense, too limited offensively to pose too much of a threat, too unathletic to be much of a presence on the boards — that still managed to get the job done.

Break down Oberto’s stats however you’d like and they still disappoint, yet his smart play, interior passing, and knack for hustle made him a starter on the title-winning Spurs in 2007. Nothing can take away that ring, even if Oberto was that starting lineup’s undeniable weak link.

Oberto has only seen two contracts in his NBA life. He signed a deal with the Spurs back in 2005, and then agreed to a one-year stint with Washington last year for a fairly minimal salary. There was a possibility that the Wizards may bring Fab back for his third NBA contract, but with their young bigs locked into place and ready to log serious minutes, his services are no longer needed there. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the market felt similarly, and Oberto’s limited skill set didn’t demand an NBA salary even in an off-season riddled with exorbitance. $20 million makes sense for Darko, after all, but for an older center with a superior career averages in rebounds, assists, and turnovers per 36 minutes as well as field goal percentage, even the league minimum was apparently too much to ask.

But hey, David Kahn can’t overpay for every center on the market.

With no offers to remain stateside, Oberto is left to sort through various overseas possibilities, but apparently none have tickled his fancy. Most recently: According to The Hoops Market, Turkish club Efes Pilsen offered Oberto a three-month deal to fill in for injured big man Miroslav Raduljica, which he declined due to its abbreviated length. Even without offers from top European teams, Oberto is still in the market for a longer (read: full-season) deal. Time isn’t on Oberto’s side, though, as basketball season is gearing up not only in the United States, but in Europe, as well.

Supposing that Oberto did indeed reject the offer from Efes Pilsen to play the waiting game on a better offer, he may soon be short on realistic long-term options. Some teams may be interested based on Oberto’s international reputation alone (he’s a valued member of the Argentine national team), but it’s not inconceivable that Fabricio could sit out a year or retire from the game for good if he doesn’t receive an offer to his liking.